Alternate titles : Exorcist 4 : The Beginning, Exorcist : Dominion

Tagline : "Go Back to Where the Horror Began"

Exorcist : The BeginningSome 14 years after "Exorcist 3" and over 30 years since the original, comes the fourth in the series of Exorcist films, which attempts to take a look at the young Father Merrin.

Set sometime in the late 1940's, former priest and archaeological expert Lankester Merrin (hey, I didn't know his first name was Lankester?), played here by Stellan Skarsgard, is asked to attend an excavation in Eastern Africa, where the remains of a church have been found buried underneath the sands.

But as the church is slowly unearthed, it becomes apparent that it is not what it appears to be and its discovery has unleashed something evil. Shortly afterwards, the head archaeologists develop bad skin complexions and go mad, the local natives and the British army garrison start attacking each other and themselves and badly animated CGI Hyenas go on the rampage, tearing children to pieces.

Despite losing his faith a number of years ago during the war, Merrin comes to realise that something evil is most definitely at work and that only by rediscovering his faith can he hope to stop the ensuing madness. Directed by Renny Harlin, who took over the film after original director Paul Shrader got fired by the studios, this isn't the best sequel but isn't the worst either (that dubious honour goes to part 2). Perhaps the biggest let down are the badly done CGI effects.

Worth a watch, Exorcist fans will probably want to check this out. You should also check out Paul Shrader's original version of the film, which is available separately under the title "Dominion".

Overall Marks : 5/10.

Terrifying Trivia

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Cast & Crew

Buy Online

 

Buy the UK DVD (Theatrical) [Amazon UK]

Buy the UK DVD (Original) [Amazon UK]

 

Buy the US BD (Theatrical) [Amazon US]

Buy the US BD (Original) [Amazon US]

Buy the US DVD (Theatrical) [Amazon US]

Buy the US DVD (Original) [Amazon US]

 

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